shrieking guitars , vibrating the dust crusted spider web that dangled from the speaker . Ed returned . “ Still with Jen ?” asked Sean . “ Yeah ,” Ed visibly brightened at the mention of her name . “ She ’ s a big part of why I ’ m doing better these days . She helped me through a lot . We ended up being really good for each other .”
“ That ’ s kind of funny ,” said Sean . “ You were the two most fucked up kids in school , and now you ’ re both so normal .”
“ I think we were both ready to grow up and get our shit together . Once we had each other ’ s support , things were easier . I kicked the hard drugs and booze , she went to the Jackman Centre and finished high school . Now we both have degrees and jobs . Nobody thought I ’ d live to see twenty , and now I own a fucking house .”
“ That ’ s great man . I ’ m a little jealous , but
I ’ m seriously happy for you .” “ We ’ re getting married .” “ No shit ,” said Sean . He raised his beer and they clinked .
Sean and Edward resumed their friendship as if it had never disintegrated . Adult relationships are never as intense or honest as those of youth , but they were close . Both accepted roles secondary to Jen and Dawn . Dawn was soon replaced by Abby though , and Abby by Cori . Each time , Sean confided in Ed that he ’ d been fucking somebody else , and each time Ed kept it to himself .
They hung out almost every week , watching movies , hiking , even experimenting with D & D . Mostly , they just drank coffee or beer and talked . For hours they would alternate between solving the world ’ s problems , unraveling the mysteries of the universe and gossiping about neighbors and coworkers . They laughed and swore and occasionally cried . When Ed married Jen , Sean stood at his side . When Sean had a son , he named Edward the Godfather , an irony which they both enjoyed . Later , when Sean cheated on his son ’ s mother , Ed covered for him .
2016
“ I don ’ t know what happened ,” said Ed . They were standing in Ed and Jen ’ s kitchen , drinking coffee from the counter . “ Just a month ago , things were fine . She ’ s a different person . She won ’ t even talk to me .”
“ I ’ m sorry man ,” said Sean . He ’ d been walking past their house and dropped in just to warm up . He ’ d known they were having problems , but had no idea how bad it was . When he came in , Jen was getting ready to leave . She ’ d stormed out without a word to either of them . “ You two seemed so solid .”
“ I feel like I ’ ve been trying so hard to be the person she wants me to be , that I ’ m not the person she loved anymore . Does that make any sense ? We ’ ve both changed so much , but I thought we were changing together .”
“ Whatever happens ,” said Sean , “ It ’ ll be alright . You ’ ve been through a lot of shit in the past . You can get through this too . I ’ m here for you . I ’ ll get you through it .”
He found her at The Basement . His intentions were good , of course . He wanted to talk to her because he knew Ed couldn ’ t . He wanted to hear her side , to find out what had happened . He would help them see each others ’ perspectives and work through things .
After a few hours , it was clear to both of them what was going to happen . Soon , they were in his bed . He turned off his mind , shut down the guilt , shame , and reason . It was a familiar feeling , but from a different direction . He ’ d been betraying the people he loved for years , had cheated on